Using the principles of Kwanzaa to help us reach big goals.

Journal entry 12/27/2021

Sunday December 26th kicked off the start of Kwanzaa, the day of Umoja, meaning unity. Today is the 2nd day, the day of Kujichagulia (Self-Determination) which encourages us to define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves. As we end this year and think of the possibilities and our goals for 2022 Kwanzaa gives us 7 amazing principles we can use to help us reflect on our past and plan for the future.

This day, Kujichagulia (Self-Determination) is a call to express ourselves and be proud of who we are. We all have that hesitation- sometimes we're afraid to speak up or are afraid to start something new and achieve a goal.

I started Brooklyn Brewed Sorrel in 2015 (first bottle made) and went official in 2018. The first few years had some good times and rough times. Overall things were kinda slow. Back then I was super-intimidated to see other businesses that started around the same time making progress I hadn't and I let that fear of failure hold me back. I thought of myself as too small. But during the pandemic something happened. I was alone with my head down knowing that if I didn't dig deep (have faith- Imani), be self determined and also reach out to my community this business would not make it. I could no longer straddle the fence as a business woman. I decided to dig deep and be determined, and honestly, oftentimes it's your kind words that were that thing that helped lift me up. I have reviews from customers right in front of me, pinned up on my office wall. With self determination, you and me deciding where we're going and making every effort to get there we can look up a year from now and see ourselves as the person we wanted to be and make the contributions we always wanted to make.

You can look at the Brooklyn Brewed Sorrel timeline to get a sense of our trajectory. This business went from serving 196 customers online in 2019 to 884 in 2020 to 2162 so far in 2021. We really want to serve 2300 people this year! 

7% of US women owned businesses reach between $100k-$250k in revenue. About 67% are stuck between $25,000 and $50,000 annual revenue. As I write this I feel even more encouraged to share about how we were able to serve our current 2162 customers this year and reach the $190K we currently are at for the year because I'd love for this to be a place where other women and marginalized business owners can feel encouraged and I want our amazing customers to be very clear on how you've impacted our growth. We do not have investors. Every time we needed to presell our product in order to fund our next production, every time you shared about Brooklyn Brewed Sorrel, every time you've ordered you've been like investors in the business! Also, every-time you send us your kind feedback you've given a great boost. Every time you comment on an Ad you make it possible for others to trust in how amazing our product and customer service is. THANK YOU!

 We have abt 125 orders left to ship for this year. Will one of them be going out to you?

Happy Kwanzaa!

PS: When you're close to a goal it can kinda feel intimidating. I'm utilizing this Journal section of our website and the principles of Kwanzaa to help me reflect on this past year, embolden myself to finish up strong and help encourage you along your journey to whatever seems BIG for you. We're updating daily!

Read Featured Blogs:

Must-Try Non-Alcoholic Christmas and Thanksgiving Mocktail Recipes	Jada's first step to over 20 years of Sobriety	Brooklyn Brewed Sorrel is Beyoncé & Beyhive approved